The utilization of safety helmets, sometimes referred to as hard hats, by persons engaged in certain types of activities or located in certain areas, has become a safety requirement which is normally strictly enforced by governmental, quasi-governmental and/or private agencies and companies. Oftentimes the wearer of such a helmet requires the use of an additional protective device (e.g., welder's mask, face shield, goggles, noise reducing earmuffs, etc.). The utilization of such protective devices has frequently in the past involved either removal of the safety helmet, thereby exposing the wearer to certain safety hazards, or required a special type of safety helmet with built-in means designed to accommodate only a particular type of protective device. In some instances the safety helmets were provided with protruding brackets mounted in fixed locations on the exterior of the helmet, thereby increasing the manufacturing cost of such helmet and requiring all of the protective devices to be mounted in precisely the same location relative to the helmet. Because of the fixed location of the protective device on the helmet, the effectiveness thereof in providing the necessary protection was impaired and/or the helmet with the protective device attached was uncomfortable and unstable when worn.
In other prior constructions it was difficult to maintain a secure connection between the helmet and protective device and thus required frequent manual adjustment by the user. Furthermore, the earlier constructions were of complex design, susceptible to malfunction, and to substitute or replace either the helmet or protective device was an awkward, time consuming operation.